Liquid congealing apparatus



April 194.0. M. e. SHOEMAKER 2,196,331

LIQUID CONGEALING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 24, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 WITNESSES: INVENTOR ATTORNKJ Mnacom G. Saomnxm.

April 9, 1940. M. G. SHOEMAKER LIQUID CONGEALING APPARATUS 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 24. 1936 INVENTOR FIG. 10 MALCOLM 6.5nozmnxs2.

WITNESSES: 6.

' ATTORN EY/ Patented Apr. 9, 1940 UNITED STATES LIQUID CONGEALING APPARATUS Malcolm G.

Shoemaker,

Springfield, Mass, as-

signor to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company. East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania I Application November 24,

1936, Serial No. 112,480

6 Claims. (o1. 62108.5)

I My invention relates to liquid congealing apparatus, and particularly to an ice tray and grid construction for forming ice blocks suitable for table use.

It is an object of my invention to provide improved liquid congealing apparatus from which ice blocks are readily removable without the application of heat.

It is another object of .my invention to provide an improved stiffening means for flexible grids and furthermore to utilize the stifiening means for pivotally connecting the flexible walls of the grid structure thereto.

It is still another object of my invention to provide an improved flexible metal grid structure for forming ice blocks and for thereafter affording ready removal of the ice'blocks from the grid structure;

These and other objects are effected by my invention, as will be apparent from the followin description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an ice pan and grid illustrating my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the ice pan and grid shown in Fig. l with portions of the ice tray broken away;

Fig, 3 is a view of the grid structure alone shown in its flexed position for the removal of ice blocks therefrom;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a-leverage device which maybe utilized for raising the grid member relative to the ice pan;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of my improved flexible grid structure;

Fig. 6'is an end view of the grid structure;

Fig. '7 is an end view of the grid structure with the center bar or stiffening strip removed;

I Fig. 8 is a fragmentary elevational view of the center bar;

Fig. 9 is a detail view of the pivot for one end of the tray; and

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the grid structure as it appears when the central wall member is separated.

Referring to the drawings for a detailed description of my invention, numeral H designates a relatively rigid ice pan preferably formed of stamped aluminum. A removable grid member, generally designated by the numeral I2. is disposed in the ice pan ii in the position shown in Fig. 1 and forms a plurality of cells l3 for forming ice blocks (not shown).

Thegrid member I2 is preferably formed of two sheets of flexible metal I4 and I5 bent to zig-zag or triangular shape to form the ice cells l3 with outside bends I6 beingcut away at 11 to clear the radii of the lower part of the pan II. The sheets of flexible metal I and I5 are preferably formed of stainless steel or other noncorrosive metal and provide vertical dividing walls in the ice pan I I. 'A central relatively rigid vertical wall member 18 of substantially the same height as the sheets 14 and,l 5 and also preferably- 10 formed of stainless steel or a similar metal, is formed of two sheets of metal l9 and 2|, and is interposed between the flexible wall members or sheets l4 and I5. The inner and outer apices of the flexible sheets Hand lBfreely abut the central wall member 18 and the ice pan ll, re-

spectively. I

The Sheets of flexible metal I4 and 15 are pivotally-joined to the rigid center bar I8 in the. following manner. One longitudinal end of each 2 of the sheets I4 and [5 are attached by a pivot pin 2| which freely extends through the members [4, I5, l9, and 20, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The sheets l4 and I5 are, therefore, pivotally connected to the sheets l9 and 20. A pivoting 25 member 22, shown in detail in Fig, 9, has lugs 24 which are preferably riveted at 23 to the other ends of the sheets 14 and I5 and holds them together, as shown in Figs. 1 and '1. The pivoting member including a horizontal shoulder 25 8 which straddles the center bar l8. As shown in Figs. 3, 6, and 8, the members I9 and 20 of the center. bar I8 are held together by a pivot pin 26 located at the opposite end of the grid to the pivot pin 2|. hanging pin 28 is journaled on the pivot pin 26 for a purpose hereinafter described. Theoverhanging pin 28 is provided with an offset end 29 (see Fig. 8) which hooks over the horizontal shoulder 25 on the pivoting member 23, when 40 the grid is in its normal position (see Fig. 2 or 3). The sheets 14 and 15 are, therefore, pivotally retained at this end, the shoulder 25 being free to rotate to some extent between the underside of the overhanging pin 28 and the upper side of the center bar 18. In other words,the sheets I4 and I5 are freely retained at one end between the pin 28 and the center bar 18.

' A leverage device 30 such as the one shown in 50 Fig. 4 is provided for raising the grid 12 from the ice pan II and comprises a handle member 29 pivotally attached to an end of the pan l'l by a pivot 3|, to which a vertically extending lifting member 32 is pivotally attached at 33. The han- A strap 21 for holding an overdle member is also provided with a toe 34 for engaging a support 35 for the ice pan.

In operation, the ice pan i l is filled with water and the grid 62 is disposed therein in the position shown in Fig. 4. After liquid is frozen in the cells E3, the handle member 29 of the leverage device 30 is rotated, whereupon the toe 36 engages the support 35 and breaks the ice bond between the ice pan ii and the support. Upward movement of the handle member 293 also raises the vertical lifting member into engagement with the overhanging pin 28 and lifts the grid member 52 relative to the ice pan ii, thus breaking the bond between the ice blocks and the interior surfaces of the ice pan. The grid member i2 is raised along its entire extent and upward flexing is substantially prevented during the raising of the grid relative to the ice pan due to the relatively rigid stifiening member iii, thus insuring that the ice bond between the ice cubes and the ice pan will be broken.

After the ice bond between the ice cubes and the ice pan is broken, the grid with the ice cubes contained therein may be taken hold of and the sheets M and i flexed, for example, vertically of the stiffening member iii, to the position shown in Fig. 3. The stiffening member i8 obviously remains in its original position. The sheets Hi and i5 pivot about the pivot pin 2i and the pivoting member 22, whereby the grid is flexed a progressively greater amount from the ends to the center thereof, thus freeing the ice cubes from the grid because of the relative movement between the flexible sheets i l and I5 and the stiffening member l8 and because of the relative movement between portions of the sheets i l and i5 which deflne the cells it.

If it is desired to take the grid l2 apart for cleaning, the strap 27! with the pin 28 may be rotated about the pin 26, the ends of the sheets Hi and I 5 being cut out at 37, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 to permit movement of the strap 2?. The sheets 14 and i5 may then be rotated clockwise about the pivot 2! to separate the stifiening member l8 and the sheets I4 and i5.

As shown in Fig. 10, the sheets i9 and 2TB of the stiflening member it may be provided with outwardly bent portions, shown at 38 in Figs. 1, 5, and 10 for the insertion of a wedge to separate the sheets i8 and lg to facilitate breaking of the ice blocks from the grid i2. When the sheets l9 and are bent to the position shown in Fig. 10, the sheets l9 and 2b are arched and the ice is broken loose therefrom. If the sheets l9 and 28 are separated a suflicient distance, the flexible members it and I5 flex suiflciently to loosen the ice blocks therefrom.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have provided .improved liquid congealing apparatus formed of flexible metal from which the frozen liquid may be readily removed without the use of heat. I have furthermore provided a novel stiffening means for facilitating removal of the grid from the ice tray and have provided for rotating the flexible walls of the grid about the pivoted connections to effect easy removal of the ice blocks from the grid.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of variouschanges and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are speciflcally set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a freezing tray, in combination, a container pan, an elongated grid structure for said pan for dividing its frozen contents into a plurality of ice blocks, said grid comprising, a longitudinally extending central wall which is relatively rigid against vertical bending, and two longitudinally extending relatively flexible metal block-forming members lying upon opposite sides of said central wall and each having pivot connections at its two longitudinal ends to said central wall, each of said flexible members being bodily distortable in a vertical direction by pivoting about its two end pivot connections, and force-multiplying means for forcing said central wall upwardly from said pan.

2. In a freezing tray. in combination, a container pan, an elongated grid structure for said pan for dividing its frozen contents into a plurality of ice blocks, said grid comprising, a longi- I tudinally extending central wall which is relatively rigid against vertical bending, and two elongated flexible metal strips lying upon opposite sides respectively of said central wall and deformed laterally so as to form a series of ice block compartments, each of said flexible strips having pivot connections to said central wall at its two longitudinal ends and being readily movable relative to said central wall at all points intermediate said pivot connections, and force-multiplying means for forcing one end of said central wall upwardly from said pan.

3. In a freezing tray, in combination, a container pan, an elongated grid structure for said pan for dividing its frozen contents into a plurality of ice blocks, said grid comprising, a longitudinally extending central wall which is relatively rigid against vertical bending, and two elongated flexible metal strips lying upon opposite sides respectively of said central wall and bent into a zig-zag shape in plan view to form a series of ice block compartments, each of said flexible strips being pivotally connected at its two opposed ends to said central wall and being otherwise detached therefrom whereby to permit ready distortion of said flexible strips relative to said central wall, and force-multiplying means for forcing said central wall upwardly from said pan.

4. In a freezing tray, in combination, a container pan, an elongated grid structure for said pan for dividing its frozen contents into a plurality of ice blocks, said grid comprising, a longitudinally extending central vertical wall formed of two laterally flexible metal plates lying substantially in face to face contact and connected together only at their two opposed end portions whereby said plates may be spread laterally apart by distortion, and two longitudinally extending flexible metal dividing members lying upon opposite sides of said central wall and each connected thereto at the two longitudinal ends thereof, each of said flexible metal dividing members being readily laterally distortable so that they may be spread laterally outwardly intermediate their connected end portions, and means in the central wall structure for cooperating with a tool for laterally spreading apart the two plates of said central wall to facilitate the removal of the frozen ice blocks after the grid and ice contents have been removed from the pan.

5. In a freezing tray, in combination, a container pan, an elongated grid structure for said pan for dividing its frozen contents into a plurality of ice blocks, said grid comprising, two laterally flexible metal plates lying substantially in face to face contact and connected together at their end portions and forming a central vertical dividing wall, two flexible metal dividing members capable of elongation by distortion and lying upon opposite sides of said central vertical wall and each connected thereto at its two longitudinal end portions, and means in the central wall tainer pan, an elongated grid structure for said pan for dividing its frozen contents into a plurality of ice blocks, said grid comprising, two stretchable longitudinally extending flexible metal dividing members connected together only at their longitudinal end portions and being free to spread laterally apart at their intermediate portions by a stretching distortion thereof, and means in the grid structure for cooperating with a tool for simultaneously spreading. and stretching said two dividing. members after the grid and ice contents have been removed from the pan, whereby to facilitate the removal ofthe frozen ice blocks.

MALCOLM G. sirens/mm. 15 

